ENN rounds up the most important and compelling environmental news stories of the week. In the news October 16th - 20th: pollution and life expectancy, safe fish consumption, an ozone hole record, a U.S. population record, and much more.

Top Ten Articles of the Week

In the news October 16th - 20th:

1. Pollution Shortens Life Expectancy WorldwideMore than 10 million people are at risk for lung infection, cancer and shortened life expectancy because they live in the 10 worst-polluted cities in the world, according to a report issued Wednesday.

2. Eat More Fish, U.S. Study Urges, Despite Toxin RiskMost people should eat more fish because of its health benefits, the U.S. Institute of Medicine reported Tuesday, but added that consumers must also consider the risks of chemically contaminated seafood.

3. California U.S. Northeast to Unite on Forming CO2 MarketCalifornia Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday his state will work with New York and other eastern states to create a market that will cut emissions linked to global warming. Schwarzenegger met with New York Gov. George Pataki to discuss the plan Monday, the latest move by the Republican governors to bypass President Bush's policy on heat-trapping gases.

4. Iceland to Resume Commercial WhalingIceland said Tuesday it would resume commercial whaling after a nearly two-decade moratorium, defying a worldwide ban on hunting the mammals for their meat. Fisheries Minister Einar Kristinn Gudfinnsson told Iceland's parliament that his ministry would begin issuing licenses to hunt fin and minke whales.

5. Ozone Hole Size Sets RecordThis year's Antarctic ozone hole is the biggest ever, government scientists said Thursday.The so-called hole is a region where there is severe depletion of the layer of ozone -- a form of oxygen -- in the upper atmosphere that protects life on Earth by blocking the sun's ultraviolet rays.

7. Ivory Coast Tragedy Highlights Hazardous Waste Trade on RiseNot long after hundreds of tons of toxic waste was jettisoned around Ivory Coast's main city under cover of darkness, Jean-Jacques Kakou awoke like thousands of others here to an overpowering stench that burned his eyes and made it hard to breathe.Three weeks later, he was dead.

8. Brazil Tells Foreigners Amazon Not for SaleBrazil Tuesday rejected a foreign proposal to buy and preserve land in the endangered Amazon and asked former U.S. Vice President Al Gore to support a home-grown rainforest-protection plan.

10. U.S. Population on Track to 300 MillionAmerica's population is on track to hit 300 million on Tuesday morning, and it's causing a stir among environmentalists. People in the United States are consuming more than ever -- more food, more energy, more natural resources. Open spaces are shrinking and traffic in many areas is dreadful.